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VisualRF – A Tool for Your Support Team

By François Vergès, Blog Contributor

VisualRF is part of the AirWave network management and monitoring solution offered by Aruba. The service allows us to visualize and monitor the Wi-Fi network with a different and interesting perspective. In this article, we will go over how we can use VisualRF to support a large Wi-Fi network infrastructure. We will then go over some configuration considerations.

Helping Out Our Support Teams

VisualRF is centered on the user experience, focused on showing the user the important information in a visually appealing way. That is the main reason why I believe it is a great tool for support teams to start troubleshooting any Wi-Fi issues. It is a nice way to interact with the Wi-Fi infrastructure, access points and client devices, without being lost in a large amount of overwhelming information.

Visual RF is also packed with useful features that can be leveraged by these support teams in order to be more effective in their troubleshooting process.

Troubleshooting the Access Points

First off, navigating to the floor of a specific building, they are able to quickly see if the access points are up and running. If an access point is down, the AP object will be surrounded by a red circle. We could think of multiple scenarios here:

  • This will give them the first indication of a potential issue if the user is located in the area where an access point is down.
  • Multiple access points are down in the same area. This could be because the switch connecting these APs to the network is down.
  • All the access points of a specific building are down. This could be because there is a power outage.

The tool also allows the support agent to click on a specific AP and get more information. Directly into VisualRF, the agent will be able to get access to the BSSIDs as well as which channels and transmit powers are used.

The agent will also be able to get access to some key monitoring metrics such as channel utilization, level of interference and the amount of received and transmitted data.

If more detailed is required, the agent will be able to click on the AP name. It will then be redirected to the AP monitor page in AirWave. From there, the agent will be able to see the evolution of these metrics over time.

Troubleshooting the Client Devices

VisualRF also enables the support agent to see where the client device is approximated located. There is even a feature that let you replay the location history of a client device. I have found this feature to be useful if you want to know how mobile a client is.

By clicking on a client object, you will be able to see, directly into VisualRF, key troubleshooting information related to that client: MAC address, current RSSI, PHY supported, AP connected to and even the username if 802.1X is used.

If more detail is required, the agent can click on the client name. It will be redirected to the client diagnostics page in AirWave. From there, the agent will have access to much more details on that specific client device.

Helping the Troubleshooting Process

Asking the right questions can help us troubleshoot a Wi-Fi problem much faster. I have found that VisualRF can also help the support agent to ask the right questions to the user.

These could be asking simple questions in order to determine basic troubleshooting information:

  • Figure out if the user is connected to the right SSID
  • Figure out if the user is really having a Wi-Fi issue (Wi-Fi != cellular)
  • Figure out if the problem experienced by the user is only localized or general
  • Figure out if the problem is constant or intermittent

VisualRF is not limited to monitoring the Wi-Fi equipment. There is also the possibility to add the wired equipment, such as routers and switches, onto the floor plans. It allows the support team to quickly know where the telecom rooms and closets are located and if these devices are up and running.

Configuration Considerations

In order for VisualRF to be useful and appealing to your support team, it needs to be configured with care.

VisualRF offers three levels of hierarchy: Network, Campus and Building. Spend time organizing your buildings and your site hierarchy so it is consistent and reflect your organization. Here are a couple of examples:

  • For a national company, you could imagine using the following structure: Country / City / Building
  • For a university, you could imagine using the following structure: State / Campus / Building

Use high-quality pictures for your maps and floor plans. I have used tools like Google Maps on a 4K screen in order to retrieve a high-quality map. The same way, floor plans can be added from high-quality PDF files. It will make a visual difference and better appeal to your support team.

When adding buildings on your campus map, zoom in to place your buildings so they appear at the right location. It can be approximate if you place them when the map is zoomed-out all the way. The same advice applies when you add campuses on your overall network map.

The number of campuses, building, floor plans and access points used in VisualRF will directly affect the amount of memory used by the service. Refer to the AirWave server sizing document in order to make sure that you allocate enough resources.

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